Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
7 x: p. R) I. w$ a0 E4 h* n> same choice?
>
> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
5 L" ?$ a# m: L  O: W" M> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
6 N! o, n# ?* o8 s> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
# r6 V+ f( e; L6 n. d6 j- `> staff, he offered a question:
/ y2 w% q8 S- u& _) s1 H8 p* u, p>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
' _" G( o/ a) x+ \> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
3 g, ]; k, |; {9 ?> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
> natural order of things in my son?'
8 Q2 p$ W& g3 {: S0 `6 p0 A( J! r>
> The audience was stilled by the query.
; h6 N+ C( \8 N" }- M+ _$ f>
/ }0 G- D& P8 V, A! M> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
4 z; x: j3 y9 K6 |> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
, S! k0 }$ L* r- Y( g7 d; ~# K> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
>
4 ?4 m2 r7 Z$ m! U/ z! F0 P/ h> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
9 W8 Q8 l; T9 G0 S6 `> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
8 D* g9 x/ ~$ h, Z> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
! o) Q% L9 ~" f: Q> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
+ a6 |5 x& t# S" m> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
0 K1 ^1 ~: v* N% R& c$ g/ f> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
3 t& q! {  j6 u3 Q> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
7 r5 H7 b# v+ H  X7 U> inning.'
- M$ w, z6 Z# e% B1 l$ B>
6 `* f) ]; W) [' O% O> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
' A1 U% [* F: N- W# T> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
  }6 ^6 o0 O* V0 H- n' w> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
5 ]  x: u0 W8 w, [> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
$ P3 Z% y5 R3 [7 u, Y- ~> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
( d* V, T& M( @' }+ d1 N! `7 ~> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
- T# e5 z  j' s. t> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
2 x8 Z1 _$ e' r% P8 Z, h> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
> right back to the pitcher.
& C, d- v) @- w& D" L* S& C>
# C0 U. d- E3 w9 @1 {> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
  J- P7 z4 v0 O+ N/ J# r: v> out and that would have been the end of the game.
>
> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
% D" X3 a/ A# ]# G> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
: V2 l# J' {5 I8 k1 ?4 C- [> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
>
> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
$ @" s9 d) w+ ?! U  ~> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
# U2 D) [3 Y  R> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
>
. Y& [" Z6 H+ a! _% b6 B& H1 s+ T> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
$ e0 K, Z' i2 K/ \>
> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
, W7 d7 s$ \' k; x6 ^+ K! E, M>
: T0 q7 ?) q0 E> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
( e9 w$ {, x' q. v) D> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
6 q3 y' P: V( `3 C1 ?) q+ j> game for his team.
>
/ ~0 @$ N0 U( Q5 p3 X9 E5 @> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
$ r  f+ _; ^& |+ r9 S9 }" R> into this world'.
>
1 ~& Q& ~7 C6 T( T9 j> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
9 G/ S* f2 N( m> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
" P, p4 b  Z4 G' i4 o% N4 `- T1 c> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
* d- E7 L+ s) k+ I0 q6 S5 y> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
3 ^; j% I7 ?, G> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
9 d4 t* @7 `3 c: D: n> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
: T7 I  J$ \8 A; p+ p5 b, _> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
2 x9 X2 f8 w/ \; t; K> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
7 o% ?7 {  Y* q5 ?- w6 T> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
3 j& ^1 V2 e1 E; d) T" ^( Y1 G3 R7 h  r> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
* O& P* ]- g% x- }7 U> bit colder in the process?
) f: o5 D% H6 c9 q1 k>
) X: R$ |1 Z) G9 u* g> A wise man once said every society is judged by
> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
" x( s0 ~& H: ?" @" Y: \" W5 X8 t>
> You now have two choices:
> 1. Delete
* W5 U3 M3 Z% d  k: A/ f% Y> 2. Forward
>
, R! h" K; l7 V8 z3 d- A> May your day, be a Shay Day.